2 convicted in string of metro Toledo holdups

Two men were convicted after a jury trial Thursday of several charges related to a string of robberies last summer.

Jorge Rojas, 21, of 847 Kingston Ave. and Edgar Ramirez, 19, of 1132 East Central Ave., were each convicted of four counts of complicity in the commission of aggravated robbery and two counts of felonious assault, all with gun specifications. They will be sentenced Oct. 14 by Lucas County Common Pleas Judge Ruth Ann Franks.

A jury deliberated for nearly two hours before reaching verdicts. The men were found not guilty of attempted murder but instead guilty of a lesser offense of felonious assault for shooting at a bank manager during the robbery of a KeyBank in Sylvania Township on July 7.

Other robberies occurred over a two-month period at the Marathon gas station, 429 West Alexis Rd., on June 15; Circle K gas station, 1444 West Alexis Rd., on June 27; and the Sunoco gas station, 4458 Monroe Street, on July 15.

Two brotherswere previously sent to prison after entering pleas for their roles in the KeyBank robberies. Martin Cheno, 21, of 1715 Parkdale Ave., was sentenced to 13 years in prison and Victor Cheno, 17, of 320 Central Ave., was sentenced to seven years.